by Sharon Ann Holgate
E&T
5 October 2009 online, and in the vol 4 issue 17 print edition
E&T investigates some of the latest ‘open’ MRI scanners and finds out what benefits patients and doctors can expect.
It is unlikely anyone undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan would describe the experience as pleasant. Having to lie very still in a narrow tube for anything up to an hour, while the machine loudly bangs its way through the scanning procedure, is hardly fun. In fact, some patients find it so traumatic they have to be sedated – at times, put under general anaesthetic – before being scanned. That is if they can fit inside it at all.
However, claustrophobia and a tight squeeze could soon become problems of the past as more of the latest generation of ‘open’ scanners, with very wide bores or completely open gaps for the patient, appear in clinics around the world. These systems also offer the potential for MRI-guided surgery.
Wider bore systems
According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 300 million clinically obese adults worldwide, so not surprisingly this has been a driving factor for developments in scanner technology. Siemens, for instance, have been producing scanners with wide bores – 70cm as opposed to the standard 60cm – since 2004.
“We see a trend towards more patient comfort. Growing obesity will push this trend, and patients are better informed than they used to be – they look on the Internet and pick an institution. So with an ever higher density of MR systems in the world, our customers are in a competitive situation,” says Mathias Blasche, principal key expert in the MR Business Unit of Siemens Healthcare. Children, intensive care patients, or anyone dependent on medical equipment can also benefit from wider bores, explains Blasche. “We see better image quality with anxious patients who are prone to move during the scan if they do not feel comfortable,” he adds.